Alex Rodriguez has been cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment and the Yankees announced that he’ll see his first game action at Single-A tomorrow, which as Calcaterra just noted is one day before “National Pray For A-Rod Day.”

So, you know, congrats on those prayers being answered ahead of time.

Rodriguez is slated to play at least three innings defensively at third base as he comes back from hip surgery, starting the 20-day clock on his rehab stint. Presumably he won’t be giving many updates on his rehab assignment via Twitter.

Setting aside all the drama that comes with basically anything Rodriguez does at this point, the Yankees could certainly use plenty of lineup help and even a significantly diminished A-Rod would be a huge upgrade considering New York’s third basemen have combined to hit .231 with four homers and a .608 OPS in 81 games.

Blash, 28, was acquired by the Yankees from the Padres back in December in the Chase Headley trade. In trading Blash to the Angels, the Yankees were able to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for Brandon Drury, the infielder they acquired as part of a three-team trade with the Diamondbacks and Rays on Tuesday.

Over parts of two seasons in the majors, Blash has hit an underwhelming .200/.323/.336 in 279 plate appearances. He will try to play his way into a bench role for the Angels this spring.